The Muslim Ummah, also known as Al-Harakatul-Islamiyyah, has called for the unconditional release of Ramzy Abu Ibrahim, a Palestinian who has lived in Nigeria for over three decades and was recently arrested and detained.
At a press conference in Ilorin on Wednesday, the group, led by its Ameer, Mallam Abdur-Razzaq Abdulwahab Al-Ameen Aladodo, alleged that the detention was carried out at the prompting of Israel under the Nigeria-Israel Security and Intelligence Pact.
“We are compelled to express our outrage, consternation and deep concern over the unconstitutional, insensitive and provocative arrest of Ramzy Abu Ibrahim, who has peacefully lived in Nigeria for about three and a half decades,” Ameer Al-Ameen told journalists.
The group described the detention as a violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and accused the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of “serving the interest of war criminals in Tel Aviv” rather than addressing pressing domestic security concerns.
The Ameer warned that the arrest could alienate Nigeria’s Muslim population.
“It is diplomatically disastrous and politically suicidal for the Tinubu government to jettison the interest of about 130 million Nigerian Muslims in order to serve the narrow interest of the genocidal, racist and Zionist regime in Israel,” he said.
Drawing historical parallels, the Muslim Ummah recalled Nigeria’s support for South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, including the creation of the South African Relief Fund (SARF) in 1976.
The group argued that the Palestinian cause is no different.
“There is no difference between South African freedom fighters and the current struggle of the Palestinians against the ethnic cleansing being perpetrated by the illegal state of Israel,” Ameer declared.
The organisation urged Nigerians across religious divides to pressure the government into securing the release of Abu Ibrahim and to reconsider the pact with Israel.
Specifically, the Muslim Ummah demanded two actions from the Tinubu administration:
- The unconditional release of Abu Ibrahim, and
- 2. The withdrawal from the Nigeria-Israel Security and Intelligence Pact, which they described as “ill-fated and ill-advised.”
The group concluded by thanking Nigerians who have spoken out against the detention and called for sustained public pressure.
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